For a few decades now, teens have flocked to YA novels like The Hunger Games or The Fault in Our Stars. Why are they so popular? We talk to two novelists who say young adult fiction can help teens consider big issues and life and ‘practice’ their responses to real-world problems like violence and drugs.
19-13 Segment 2: Using the ‘Voices in Your Head’
Hearing voices in your head comes with an unfortunate stereotype that you must be mentally ill. However, experts tell us the “voices in your head” can be used to talk to, and about, yourself in a healthy, productive way. In fact, most people hear voices in their head and already use inner speech on a daily basis. We discuss tips and techniques to use “self-talk” as a way to get yourself through tough decisions and lower stress.
Culture Crash 19-13: Summer Concerts
Summer is almost here, which means the concert and music festival season in almost in full swing. We talk a look at why a day at an amphitheater can stick with you for life.
19-12 Segment 1: Life in the Shadow of the Columbine High School Shooting
On April 20, 1999, Sue Klebold’s son and his friend went into Columbine High School and committed one of the largest mass shootings in US history. Over the last 18 years, Klebold has been forced to cope with this horrible tragedy while managing anxiety attacks and being blamed by so many. Klebold talks about her story and the mental health messages she wants every American to know.
19-12 Segment 2: Raising Financially-Minded Children
All parents want their kids to succeed and live good lives, and part of accomplishing that is raising them to understand the value of a dollar. We talk to Beth Kobliner, a financial expert and author of the book Make Your Kid A Money Genius (Even if you’re not) about tips and tricks to help our kids, from toddlers to post-grads, handle money responsibly.
Culture Crash 19-12: Junk Food TV
Sometimes you want to watch an expertly written and produced hour of television with central themes and a commentary on modern life… and sometimes, you just want to shut your brain off and watch something easy. This is about those latter experiences.
19-11 Segment 1: Mindfulness in Life, Leadership and Collaboration
The hustle and bustle of the world can overwhelm us all from time to time. Expert Marc Lesser talks about how we can embrace mindfulness to relieve anxiety, enhance our empathy and become better collaborators and leaders in our lives.
19-11 Segment 2: Harry Potter Therapy
The Harry Potter series is full of creatures and storylines that parallel real-life adversities like depression, PTSD and grief in a heightened reality. Dr. Janina Scarlet says these stories are so powerful that she uses them to help people cope in real-life therapy sessions.
Culture Crash 19-11: Do we all have the cultural taste of our 15 year-old selves?
Anecdotal evidence and some real data science both suggest that we never grow out of the things we loved at 15.
19-10 Segment 1: A More Ethical Garden
Spring is almost here! That means it’s time to start thinking about gardens and landscaping. Expert Benjamin Vogt has a new way to garden, so that your property can be a place that looks nice, and also contributes to a healthy ecosystem that helps animal species and our planet thrive.
19-10 Segment 2: A Fantasy Series that Aims at Teaching Children to Consider Some Big Questions
We grow up hearing nursery rhymes and fairy tales that deal with good and evil. All of us fondly remember the cartoons of our youth and the stories we grew up with. We talk to Soman Chainani about authoring a new entry into the catalogue of mythology and his attempt to course-correct the lessons more modern stories have been teaching our children.
Culture Crash 19-10: Netflix’s Russian Doll
Netflix’s new show, Russian Doll is an ethical, mysterious, funny drama modeled after the Groundhog Day “waking up in the same moment” plot. It’s an especially great binge-watch.
19-09 Segment 1: What Big Data Can Teach Us About Ourselves
These days, there is data on just about everything. Our social media presence, our careers, our web search history- it’s all crunched into data points. And author Seth Stephens-Davidowitz says all that data can shed plenty of light on the truth about who we really are underneath all of our social formalities.
19-09 Segment 2: Exploring What It Means for Women to be ‘Brave, Not Perfect’
Reshma Saujani is a lawyer, a former political candidate, an author and the founder of Girls Who Code. She says our society puts too much pressure on women to be perfect, which means girls are afraid to explore their true passions for fear of failure. She’s hoping to change that, and to teach girls that it’s okay to try something that you might not succeed at.
Culture Crash 19-09: Audiobooks
Audiobooks used to be big, cumbersome collections of tapes. Now, they’re simply files on our phones, and their portability and convenience make them a great option for commute-time listening.
